Doctorate Not Cause For Fuss, Says Grad, 94

Doris Agnon doesn't see why people are making a big deal about her graduation from Florida Atlantic University.

Of course, of the 1,000 people graduating today, she is the only one who is 94 years old.

In fact, she might be the oldest person ever to receive a doctorate degree.

"People say, `Aren't you thrilled?'" Agnon said recently from her home in Wynmoor condominiums in Coconut Creek.

"No," she said. "I had a mission."

Agnon's "mission" is detailed in a 120-page dissertation based on her decades of experience as a teacher, her membership in Toastmaster's International and her belief in the value of Dale Carnegie educational programs.

Nearly 60 years after receiving a bachelor's degree in psychology from Brooklyn College, she will walk across another graduation stage today when she receives her doctorate in education at FAU in Boca Raton.

School officials say Agnon is undoubtedly the oldest person ever to earn a doctorate from FAU.

A March 13, 1996, article in Montreal, Canada's The Gazette recounted a 91-year-old man who earned his doctorate that year from Concordia University.

Whether she's a record holder, Agnon is an inspiration for seniors everywhere, says Rose Paper, 84, a friend and Coral Springs resident.

"She had the guts, G-U-T-S, to stick it out," Paper said, proving that "if you stick to something, if you believe in something long enough, you'll get it done."

"What good will this [degree] do her at her age? But look at the example she's setting for the rest of us," Paper said.

Agnon, a New York native and daughter of Russian immigrants, received her master's in 1956 from New York University's school of education, then taught in the New York school system before moving to South Florida, according to her dissertation.

She said some people have called her foolish for giving up 10 years of her life to study when she could be relaxing.

But Agnon said she saw that something was wrong with the system.

She wants teachers to encourage students to develop analytical skills and confidence by requiring them to stand up and speak publicly in class.

Children today are learning simply how to memorize and regurgitate facts, she said.

If they do speak out or if they can't memorize facts well enough, they are penalized, she said. Consequently, some of the brightest kids rebel.

"If you're able to get up and be listened to, you gain respect," she said.

She began studying at FAU in 1985 after retiring and moving to South Florida.

"I felt I went through all this education and being a teacher because I wanted to help the children," she said.

Agnon's academic adviser, Don MacKenzie, 63, retired from FAU last year but continues to mentor her.

"She's a very rare breed, certainly a believer in lifelong learning," MacKenzie said.

Agnon is about 5 foot 5 inches, according to her driver's license. She can't be more than about 100 pounds, MacKenzie said. Physically she's frail, but "she's sharp as can be mentally," he said.

MacKenzie said Agnon has no children and has never married that he knows of. He said after she retired from teaching, she came to South Florida "and was bound and determined she wasn't going to sit around and play cards."

She was relieved to be graduating, but said she was tired and after more than 10 years of grueling study and work, she's ready for some fun.

For one thing, she wants to travel and attend plays again.

"I want to start living a normal life," she said.

Christy McKerney can be reached at cmckerney@sun-sentinel.com or 954-572-2008.